Tag: education reform

The Institute for America’s Future and the Opportunity to Learn Campaign have joined a diverse group of education advocates to release an “Education Declaration” that demands a new direction in public school policy, focused on opportunities and supports for students – and respect for teachers.

When asked by a potential community partner what was the one thing that could be done to improve the health of its citizens, Dr. Adewale Troutman, the then newly appointed director for Louisville’s health department* answered, “to make sure that everyone graduates from high school”. Like many others, the community partner wondered – what does […]

Step One: Call It Out Education has been labeled the “civil rights issue of our time.” Dropout factories––high schools where no more than 60% of the students that start as freshmen make it to their senior year––has become a common-day term. These low-performing public schools tend to be in the poorest zip codes across our country. The negative […]

Graduation from high school is not only a rite of passage, it is the ticket to economic prosperity and quality of life. The formula is simple: High school graduates are more employable, healthier and more likely to have health insurance, all of which positively contribute to our economy. But here’s the flip side of that […]

Arif, a young nurse working in a remote Moroccan village, is saving lives with education, a pit latrine, and a group of curious, engaged students. Meeting Arif and seeing his program in action inspired me to think about the power of simple solutions, the things we take for granted in the United States, and the […]

In most states, top-ranked high school seniors are shoo-ins to attend their local state universities. But that’s not how it goes in New York these days. In one recent, glaring case, the valedictorian of a rural school district outside Rochester was rejected by a nearby State University of New York campus — not because her […]

Allan C. Golston, President of the United States Program at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, discusses creating a vibrant educational environment in the U.S and the particular importance of engaging minority communities in this process.